1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tap (i.e., a dispensing valve or spigot) for dispensing fluids and liquids. More particularly, the present invention relates to a tap used for dispensing liquid from a container. The present inventive tap may preferably be used to dispense a liquid, such as wine for example, from a box-like container in which the wine is packaged for transportation and sale.
2. Related Technology
There are many applications in which liquids are dispensed from containers. One common application is known in the commercial consumer market in which wine is packaged in a box-like container made of paper board and having a collapsible inner bag which serves to hold the wine. A tap is attached to the bag by use of a fitting that is sealingly attached to the bag and also sealingly interfaces with the body of the tap. The tap has a manually-engageable tab which may be moved manually by a finger. When the tab is raised manually, wine within the container dispenses through an opening of the tap below the tab. One of the drawbacks of this type of tap is that the liquid is dispensed forwardly from the front of the tap immediately below the tab, rather than downwardly directly below the tap. Thus, the user needs to exercise caution to prevent spillage when dispensing liquid from such a tap in order to ensure that the liquid goes into a container held below and somewhat in front of the tap, rather than going forwardly of the tap and over a container held directly below the tap.
Conventional taps may be unduly complicated, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,904,174 and 4,044,998. These patents disclose a conventional tap assembly including a tap body having a tap chamber with a seat. A valve element in the form of a resilient cup member engages the seat. A compression spring continually biases a valving edge portion of the cup member toward the seat. A bonnet handle engages cam surfaces of the tap body to actuate the tap by lifting the valving edge off the seat. Some of the drawbacks of such a tap assembly include both the large number of parts used to produce the tap assembly, and the detailed structure of these parts. For example, the tap includes a compression spring, a bonnet, cam surfaces, and other parts and features, which all increase the complexity and the cost of producing such tap assemblies. This expense results in undue waste for many commercial applications of such tap assemblies, in which single-used packaging including the tap, is discarded after the product from the package is used. That is, the container is not refillable, and is thrown away, including the tap attached to the container.
Many conventional taps also do not have a pleasant tactile "feel" during use. That is, the user of the tap does not have a definite feeling obtained through the fingers actuating the conventional tap, that the tap is opened crisply and positively, and that it closes definitely when the user releases the manual actuating force on the tap.